Electrically-propelled vehicle.



H. W. LEONARD.

ELECTMCALLY PMPELLPD VEHICLE.

APPLICATION HLM JJNH 74 1910` 1,121,380. Patented De@ 15,1914.

4 BHEETSWSHEET 2 TLLJ :r

@y wg@ 3 J@ my Ww.

H. W. LEONARD.

Fi EUTRUALLY PMOPBLLED VEHICLE,

MPLUATTON FILED JUNE?. 1910.

1,1 21,380. Patented Dec. 15,1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4,

WW. J

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY WARD LEONARD. OF BRONXVILLE NEW YORK.

ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLMD VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed March 2. 1903, Serial No. 145.686.. Renewed May 26, crial No. 435.119. Divided and this application filed June 7. l9l0, Serial NoV 565.512.

To all [rho/il it may conca/2z lie it known that I, lliiiniy Winn lmon- .\.i:n. a citizen oi the linited States. residing at llronxvillc, in the county of 'estcheeter andV State of New York. have invented certain new and useful improvementy in Electrically-Propelled Vehicles, ot' which the following,r is a full, clear. and exact Specitication.

'I`hi application i5 a divieion of my pending original application tiled March 2. i903. Serial No. '145.686, rcnevved May 2li. 1008. Serial No. 435,119.

.\ly invention rclate l to variole,l devices and more especially to that class ot' vehicles in which an engine is employed t'or drivu ing a dynamo e`ectric machine which supplies energy to one or more propellingl electric motors. o

. The principal object of my invention when applied to vehicles is to Secure mort.l perfect control of the speed and etfort over the wide range desirable in order to secure the liest resulteI in practice.

,Further objccte` of my invention are the reduction ot' wear. breakage. noise, strain and shock present in apparatus ot this general character as heretofore proposed; the utilization of the simplest. cheapest and best torni of prime mover under conditions most favorable for its use: and the use ot electric motors 'for propelling the vehicle under conditions most favorable to their clicicncy and durability.

The principal features ot my invention when applied to wheeled vehicles may be briefly stated as follows: l develop upon the vehicle itself h v means of a prime mover. such as a gasolenc engine, power enr ploycd in the propulsion of thc vehicle forming the moving load element in this cane. and this power is transformed into electric energy, the electromot-ivc force of which is controllable over a wide range at the will 'of the operator, This electric encrier.Y supplied to one or more propelling motors at such a voltage and current as will cause the vehicle to travel at; the speed desired accordingr to the road surfaces and grades niet with. ln practice the electrical transmission as l employ it replaces thc usual meclianical variable or change speed gear, although in some instances l may employ such a gear in addition to the electrical control or electrical transmission gear ae. it may he tern'icd. These and other fea-- turey olI my invention will be understood, troni thi* following deecriptitni and accomr panying drawings which illnetrate certain torno'` ot' my invention.

Figure l is a liagrannn-.itic illuetration ot' a motor truck embodying certain featurc ot' my invention; Fig. i? is; a diagram illustrating an embodiment of certain 'fett turcs ot my invr-ntion and a iorin of berief:- parallel controller which may hc inoploycd vtor controlling the citrtrica apiraratie illustrated in Fig.. l; Figi. Il ie a diagrammatic view ot another enihodinicnt ot certain teaturc4 ot my invention; Fig. l a diagrammatic Jicvv ol another ei'nliodiment ot' certain features oi' my invention in which a coiinter-electroniotive 'torce System ol' ref fniatioxi is employed for the d v'namo electric nnwhines suplidying energy to the propelling motors. and :i esericsparallel method oi' control t'or the ari'naturcs of the propellingr motors: and Fig. 3 is a diagram oi" a modified syslcn'i oi' motor control, the extensions indicatingy the connections estabr lished by means of a serieel-parallel controller.

Yln Fig'. l the rear traction wheels are iournaled on separate short shafts. and each wheel driven byseparateelectric niotors and ll through double reduction genre. The nzotorarc spring suspended at one end in any suitable and welhknown manner, and the which axle passes through the other end ot cach nictor as is common in modern street railway motor suspension. The doable reduction rear comprises gear wheel a which keyed to the shaft of its respective traction wheel. a pinion a meshing therewith. a gear wheel ai. a gear wheel u ot' larger diameter than wheel fr?. said pinion andthe gear wheels u? and u being keyed on a counier shaft. and piniona il and a. eplined on the armature shalt oi' motor the latter pinion being ol smaller diameter than the pinion at. and said. two pinion being' arranged to slide on the shaft so as to place one or thc other in mesh with ite respective geen' wheel a2 or a3. The reduction gear for motor ll is exactly' the saine. and corresponding wheels and pinions are marked to fr". s illustrated in Fig. l. pinione o@ and 7i' :trein mesh with gear wheelsv nl and is respectively, which is they lowest speed connection, and when the pinions on the motor shafts are l minal of battery (I.

The lield circuit of generator Gr is connected across conductors l-2 with a reversing rheostat l in the circuit for reversing the ield excitation of the generator. As shown battery C is connected between Contact plate (it and conductor 6 so as to be in the armature circuit ot' generator' G, but I provide a switch 0 whereby the bat tery may be cut out of the armature circuit of generator G when fully charged without' breaking the field exciting circuit of the Ino tors and generator. For thisl purpose a loop 6 extends around the battery from rendue tor 6, and it will be seen. that when switch f; is moved to the second contact. circuit 6 extends around the battery to plate t3". but the battery still supplies energy to the field windings. ln conductor (i between battery C and generator G an automatic circuit. breaker CB is preferably connected.

\Vith the arrangement illustrated in Fig. L). I obtain three fixed speeds for each voltage of the supply current and three torques in the ratio of one. two and four.y With a certain current from generator and a certain motor field. By means of generator l can obtain any range of electroxnotive force from zero to maximum. and when the windings of the motor armatures are. all in multiple I can weaken the fields ot' the ino tors by resistances 4 connected between the set of contacts 4a to obtain a still further range of speed. The rheostat in series with the iield windings oit motors A and l are independent of each other so that the fields may be adjusted as desired relatively7 to each other.

The storage battery C may also he employed for supplying the current for the electric igniting' device of the eng-ine and leads from the batter.' are shown extending to the induction coil 1 and thence to the en- ;.fnc for that purpose. Current from the battery may also be used for snl'iplyinn' electric lights. electric brakes. electric alarms. ele-"tric heaters. etc.. and this is indicated on the drawing b.v a circuit .ll from the battery having various translating devices eonnecu ed in parallel thereto. "lhc storage battery also serves as a source of enera'ir for starting bv closing the armature circuit. of' the generator. as by closing' the circuit through the motors. batteri' and circuit breaker after first exciting' the field of the. generator. The direction ot the current through the circuit will be counter lo the direction under normal running' conditions and will therefore cause the `generatr'ir to rotate in the proper direction and act as a motor to drive the engine. As soon as the engine bovins to produce power the electro-Y motive force oi" the generator will rise until. it exceeds that of the batteri'. since the gele erator has a much higher electroniotive foreethan the battery, and tne current will then ow i.1 the normal direction for forward running. lt' the current. rises to an excessive amount. the circuit breaker ill open the circuit automaticallyA rl`he operY ator would then reduce the generator lield to zero. close the circuit breaker and proreed to operate the motor ear b v .slowly building;r up thc ,generator tield.

The starting np may also be accoinplnhfd by first giving the generator field its t'ull strength and closing' the armature cirrun. whihl leavin;y the circuit otI thc .sparking device open. This will cause the generator to operate as a motor at a low speed. 'the armature rircuit should now'be opened at the circuit breaker and the circuit or thc 'irlv'ingi' dciice closed siniultaneously. This will cause the engine to operate and run up to tul speed. 'l'he iield strei-.ptb ot the fac-ncrator should now he reduced and the arma-- ture circuit closed again which places the apparatus in condition for operation.

ln Fig'. l have illustrated four propelling' motors A. B. A and B provided with double wound armatures as in Fig'. 2. The field windings of these motors are connected in multiple arc relation across circuit l-4 with a resistance in seria` with cach winding' for the purpose of adjusting,l the fieldsy relatively to each other. Circuit 'lwsi is connected across circuit l--t'l extending' from exciter X. conductor 4 being attached to a stationary contact adapted to inaltc contact with plate4 4a and 4 which are con nected with conductor The field winding of generator (ir is connected across circuit le? through reversingr rheostat R. E rep resents a tworylinder `rasolene engine for drivingl machines X and (il. The armature circuit .3m-(i troni generator (i is connected with brushesA or other suitable contacts engaging plates 5 and of* and between these plate-sare connected a series of moving contacts M. SM. SM" and S. with which thc stationary contacts to which the armature windings ot' thc motors are connected. make contact. lith the four sets ot' contacts ar- 'angzed as shown the eight armature windeing's will be connected in multiple arc relation when the stationaijv contacts are on plates M: when on plates .QM the two wind inffs ot each armature will be in series and the Vtour armatures in multiple arc relation: when on plaies SML' the windings will be in two series ot' four each. that is the windings of the two tori'ard armatures will be in series and the windings oi: the two rear armatures` will be in series. the two .series being connected across the line in multiple arc relation: and when the stationariv contacts are on platesl S the eight armature windings will he in series across the line. lin this diagram lY have shown the interinodiate steps supplied with resistances so :is to pass sn'ioothly from one arrangement of the multiple the motor fields may be weakened by resistencee` l to obtain -u still further* range of speed. The electromotivc force of the generator can he varied from zero to its maximum electromotive force in either sense to vitry the energy supplied to the arma,-

tures of the propelling motors, and the field,

motors can also be varied,

of the propellin possible range in so as to secure tie widest speed and torque.

ln Fig. 4 wherein l illustrate the counter electromotive force method of control, A and B represent the propelling motors geared to the rear traction wheels, E represents a twomylinder gasolene engine and D., D represent two dynamo electric murhines driven by said engine. The field windings of the working motors are connected in multiple nrc relation across the circuits fie-4, which circuit is connected across the armature terminals of machine D and are of constant strength. Machine D' has a shunt field Winding and machine D has its field vif-indio connected across the armature terminals o machine D throu h n. regulating reversing rheostat R. armatures of machines D and D are connested in series to the stationary contacts of a` sexies-parallel controller SP, andthe arms.- mrc circuits Ai'- ifi-10 of the propelling motors ere nominated to switch blades 7 8, emita ich riemen. n is wen imer. etoodthat'the energy supplied to the armatuwtwcfy the work agency ofmlohine and D cen-be varied at will from zeroto the combined electromotiveV force of both machines by sd'usting the field of machine D so that it wil either oppose or niet the electr-emotive force of machine D; This; arrangement in itself would give o) very wide range of speed for the propelling motors, but by the addition of the series-parallel controller as in the n rangement of Fig. l, the number of succemve variations :n zd or torque can be still further incxeasel Y In Fig. 5 I have illustrated n system in which Elrepresents a four cylinder gesolene engine and G und G2 dynmo electric ma chinos driven Ihy seid engine, and X an exciter nisodrivcn by saidv engine. The field windings of the two machines G,.G are eonnertedin parallel across the armature terminals of exciter X. o reversing rheostat R being connected in cach eld circuit. A, ll, A and B represent the propelling motors,l the Hold wzdinlgs of which are connud in percllel non the termimotors through the' nals of'iexciter X. The matures of these machines will be controlled by a, series-potallel controller, similer to that illustrated iueach group,- two armatures in series in two groups without resistance; four armatures l in parallel with a, resistance in series in each; und four armatures in parallel without resistance. The energy supplied to the arm;- tures of the propelling motors can be varied from zero to maximum in either direction.

by adjusting the reversin rheostats R relatively to each other. A contat is inserted Pn the field circuit of each motor for adjusting the fields relatively to exch' other, and ,smother rheostat is connected in the circuit leading to those fields from exciter X for the purpose of rmulati all the motor fields simultaueousl and nilarly.

It will be seen t at if the electr-emotive force of the gex'xeratorz or generators supplying energy to the circuit, is lower than that of the opposing electromotive forces in the circuit, as may be the caso in going down grades or in reterding the machine, the armature of the generator will be driven as a motor and act to retarder limit the speed of the vehicle to undesired amount. I may therefore cause the vehicle to be retarded by lowering the electromotive force of the generator by weakening its eld ao'by means of the rheoetet; the motors will then ect as generators and supply energy to the generator which now acts as' e motor. Since the vehicle when going down gradecan be reversed and cniised to back up the grade; it will be apparent that by placing the controlling rheostat at a peropnr position, a current can be passed trom the nentor through the motors whidi will ten to move the vehiclebackwn'rd up the ginds but will -bo just saloent to balance the tendency of the vehicle to move down the grade by vir- My invention therefore ent for 'holding uP out suitable means for electrically tramitting the poger of the prime mover to the driven devieeor devies. 1

.'While I have shown and described eertain lforms of my invention, `it will be un derstood that the scope of my `invention is not confined th'ereto, and-that I am limited onlyv as indicated in the following claims.

.Vhat l claim is:

l. An electrically,propelled steerable road vehiclta^n internal combustion engine there- ;on aior developing the necessary power, an oler-tric ,L enera tor driven by said'engine and having a separately excited field-Winding. two independently rotatable traction wheels. ltwo dri-ingzv electric motors one for each wheel zesiiectively, and a. switching device for. connecting the 4armature circuits of said motors in series'ory in parallel relatively to each other. f1-

v. .'\n electrically propelled steerable road vehicle. ani-internal roml'iustion engine there. von for developing' the necessary power, an electric generator driven by saidengine and having a separately excited field winding` two indeiiendently,rotatabletrnction wheels. .tnx-electric motors gfea red to said Wheels re spectively, saidmotors haring separately excited field windings, and a switchingr dev for connrctingvth'e armature circuits of fsaidY motors in Series or in parallel relal.tisel to eachother.

f An-electrioally propelled vehicle, an

internal v4eon'ilmstion engine. thereon'for developing the necessary power, a dynamo driven by. said engine, said dynamo having Y e tin-,immature and a field winding, propellin,- ,nr 4I notiws having their varmatures connected .in 'circuit )with the armature of said generator, a. Storage battery-:connected in serieswi-th,l the 1s enerator, two independently rotatable traction ..wheels driS-fen by said motors resina,"tigre-ly` :ind means for exciting the field winding' o` sa.id generator from said storage battery.`

:Xn electrically propelled vehicle, an internal combustion engine thereon, a dynnrno driven by said engine`4 said dynamo linx-'ing an armature and :i field Winding. propelling motors having their armatures 'onnocted in circuit with the armature of said generator, two independently rotatable traction wheels drivenhv said motors re eoerrtively, a storage. battery in series with 1the generator and moto;- armatures. and means; for exciting" a lield windingr of said ,f fein-rs'ztor and a fir-ld windin`2`r of said motors from sai-:l storage hott-ery.

;\n elia-tric: lv propelled vehicle. an internal minnlsiistil-n engine thereon. a d): nimo havin;r an armatori'- and a field Wind ing. means for meclnincallv driving th(` nature ot ai '.ljrnzixno hv said engine.

' 'y 'For Writing a field windang' of said haine, sali! battery having' :i maximum tromofivr force materially lower than that. o `vsaid dynamo. a pluralityv indtprmlentv rotatahltl traction .fheels and a plurality of propelling motors supplied with energy from said dynamo and driving!A said wheels respectively, the cnr rent from said dynamo passing through said battery in a direction to charge it.

o. The combination of a vehicle, said vehicle having two independently rotatable. driving wheels, two electric motors for driv ingr said \vheels,an electric generator having;r an armature and afield winding, means .for connecting the armatures ofrsaid motors in parallel with each other and `in series with the armature ot said generator., a source of electr-emotive force for snpnlying. cnr-.- rent to a field winding of' cach of the motors and to a field winding of said generatorindependently of' the elect-romotive force of said generator and independently of the current passing.,r through the motor armntalre-s` and means for varying at the will of the operator lthe electromotive force of saidl generator from a minin'nnn to :il-maximnm value and for varying .thetield ,strength of the motors to cause them to of said motors, a source 'of -eletromol tive jforce for snppl viiig current,to "a field winding of each of themotorsl and to a. field windingr of said generator ind pend-v ently of the eleetromotiveV force of said generator and independently of the ciln'ent passing through the motor armatures, mea-ns vfor varying at the will of theoperatoithe electromotive force of said generatofom a minimumv to a maximum-value, and means for mrvingthe gearing ratio between each of said motors and its respective Wheel.`

5i. The combination of a steerable road vehicle, said .vehicle havin;r at least two propellingY wheels, an electric motor for each of said propelling wheels respectively. each of said motors and its propelling .vlxeel having; no inerhaniftal driving;V connection with any other motor and wheel, a generator adapted to supply energy to said motors. said generator having an armatiire and a .field winding` a. source of electromotive force, a field windingr of said 4generator and a field windingY of said motors being snp plied from said soorceof electromotivr force, and means for varyingr the (-.lectromotivr forro of the generator at thf` will of the operator from :n minimum to :i maximum value and for vari-'ing the field strength of the motors.

.internal combustion engine thereon, a dy" nemo driven by said engine, said dynamo having an armature and a field winding, propelling motors having their A`armatures ccnlnected in circuit with the armature of said generator, two independently rotatable trae tion Wheels driven by said motors respectively, astorage battery charged by energy Y derxvedfrom said engine, and means for exciting si.' field wndingo said generator, and

a field winding of said Vmotors from said storage battery. A Y

1.1. A self-propelled steerable road vehicle havin two wheels ada-pled to be independently riven, two dynamo electric machines,

means for mechanically connecting the movable element of said machines to saidfwheels respectively/,a dynamo electric ymachine on the vehicle mechanicall independent of said wheels, eacho' said rst named two machinas having a. separatelyv excited` field: winding, and means 'for causin thethiifdw machineto actV as a generator f supplying current- .toseid two machines while they act as motors, for connecting the armatures of seid two machines in series and in parallel, forcausing said two machines to act as gencraters to supply energy to said third machine as a`- motor, and for controlling the current in said separately excited field windinos. Y

ri. A self-pro lled steerable road vehicle, e source or prime power on saidv venecti hicle oomerieing an internal combustion engine, en electric generator driven byrssid engine, s. plurality of electric motors, a plurality of independently rotatable tractive road wheels driven by said motors respectively, controlling means adapted tolconnect,l the armature windings of said motors in series and in parallel across said generatori 5.5 armature for controlling the vehicle and adapted to still further control the vehicle by varying the field strength of the motors, and means for changing the -niechanical speed .ratio between said motors and said 'i60 wheels 13. The combination of a steerable road vehicle, nv prime mover on the vehicle, a dynemo electric machine on the vehicle, means for varying the voltage of said machine, a 66 plurality of electric motors', a plurality of propelling wheels of the'vehicle each driven by one of said motors respectively, the .armatures of lsaid motors being supplied by said dynamo electric machine, .means for oon- 70 necting the motor armatures in series and in para llehend for causinget least one of said :armatures to generate d namic braking enorgy luider certain con itions.

li. The combination of 'o steer-able road 35 vehicle, a prime mover on ,the vehicle, a dynemo electric machine on the vehicle, means for varying theI voltage of said machine, a plurality of electric motors, a plurality of propelling wheels of the vehicle each driven by one of said mepectivel the armatures of said motors being supp 'ed by ld dynamo electric machine, 'means' for the armatures inseries and in parel-e lel an A for Avarying the motor {ie'ld `Vstrength, i155 to effect speed lcontrol and '.or causing 'at least'one of said armatures to genemtc dynomic braking energy.

In'testimonv whereof ailix'my signature, inpresence o two witnesses.

H. WARD LEONARD.

. Vt'itnessos:

CAno'LYn G. Leonnm), Gmo. N; Knien. 

